The Road Less Traveled: Cycling 9,300+ miles (15,000+ km) Across Africa
Africa is not like Europe or America where there is biking infrastructure, like the occasional bike trail or maps with recommended routes. In Africa, there are lots of choices to make about which roads to take. And people often make changes to their plans along the way, due to factors which can change quickly such as recent political events, weather, or security.
We have a tentatively planned route, but it is likely to change. For example, we haven’t completely settled on whether we’ll take the loop around Lake Victoria (through Uganda and Rwanda), or just head straight south from Kenya to Tanzania. In fact, one appealing alternative would be to ride eastward in Tanzania, towards the country’s famous beaches and Zanzibar. Those are big decisions, that would have a significant impact on the length and difficulty of the trip.
So here’s a map of our tentative route. It’s been influenced by where we can get visas, countries that are considered passable on bikes, and the advice of experienced travelers in Africa. In the end we may choose to take some different roads, but the overall route will take us from Cairo to Cape Town.
Click on the image above to open an interactive map of our original, planned route across Africa, 2020.
